
Originally Posted by
MangaStream doode
I didn't feel right translating this phrase. I had a talk with some of the other editors, and it seems this phrase isn't as well known as I thought it was. I'm wondering how many of you remember it?
During the early days of Naruto, every character had a catchphrase or a "bit". Naruto ended everything with "dattebayo", Sakura would get angry and add "shannaro" to phrases, Shikimaru called everything "mendokusai" or annoying/bothersome, Lee and Guy talked about "Seishun" or Springtime of Youth all the time, Kakashi read his erotica, etc. Sasuke's was calling Naruto "Usura-tonkachi".
This word is specific to the Naruto series and specific to Sasuke. Literally, it means a "thin hammer" or a frail hammer or something like that... which as you can imagine, would be pretty useless. "Usura-baka" is an expression, just meaning some version of idiot. A "hammer" kind of has a connotation of being heavy and useless as well (you can really only grab it and swing it into things... it's jut a heavy object on a stick, otherwise).
It was my impression that this was well known among the fandom, but perhaps it just stuck out to me?Regardless, Sasuke calling Naruto this name here, especially at the point he does it, is really meaningful for all these reasons. I don't know if I can pick out the last time Sasuke called him this name. It might have been while mocking him during one of their showdowns after he had already left Konoha. But here, he's obviously taking it back to their old childish bickering and kind of extending the olive branch to Naruto by calling him that.
This was meant to show their relationship repairing and coming back to life, and no other word would have meant as much so there's no way I could have translated it to just some insult.If you already knew the word, I'm sure you knew what it meant to the series. Was it really as known as I thought, or is this the first you're all hearing it?